A journey of (Asian) skincare, arts, and culture

Skincare Routine Update: Summer~Fall 2016

Aloha! It’s been a while since you’ve seen one of these posts, eh? As the weather has gotten slightly rainier, more humid, and more dreadfully hot this past summer, I’ve switched out quite a lot of my products since you last saw my routine.

As always, you are welcome to ask about how I deal with my oily skin in this climate that’s just awful to walk around in, especially at noon.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Reminder: Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). My skincare routine is not a cut-and-dry guide. The beauty of an east-Asian-inspired skincare routine is its adaptability to individual circumstances: to your skin type, to the weather and seasons, and simply to the daily moods of your skin. The number of products and steps my skin needs will be different from yours. Even AM and PM skincare routine steps can vary daily.

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Skin Type, Concerns, and Climate

Combo/oily

Occasional clogged pores, acne (mostly hormonal)

Sebacious filaments (SFs)

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH)

Tropical climate; breezy but hot and humid

Daily AM Routine

I really, reeaally pared in my routine this summer.

Prop sunnies from Forever 21.

Cleansing: Rinse with cool water only. Since I don’t wear makeup or sunscreen when I sleep, I don’t actually have anything to wash off except for a little sebum. Any cleanser is just a bit excessive for even that.

Lotion/Hydrating toner: 1,000-mL bottle of this thing… Are you thinking, holy cow, what the hell is Lily doing with this liter of Japanese lotion? Well, I’ve actually been using this in lieu of a typical “western” lotion since around spring when I first got it. It’s light, non-sticky, and hella cheap at $10 a bottle on sale.

Daily PM Routine

Granny glasses!

Hey! Remember those three cleansers I was testing as of my last routine update? Well, I didn’t care for the Beauty Water as a long-term first cleanser (although it’s great for other uses), and the ginseng one from Doori Cosmetics was too high-pH (pending pH test results). If you’ve been following my Instagram, though, you’ll notice I’ve replaced it—and my trusty ol’ Hada Labo foaming cleanser!—with a brand-new double-cleansing routine I’m coming to really love.

Like my AM routine, this one has been changed and pared down a bit since my last update:

Balm cleanser: SU:M37 Skin Saver Melting Cleansing Balm

Enzyme powder cleanser: Tosowoong Enzyme Powder Wash

Vitamin C:OST C20 Original Pure Vitamin C Serum (Apologies for photographing my “actives” out of order! Check out Snow White and the Asian Pear’s post for info about stacking actives in your routine.)

Coming Soon to a Routine Near Me…

Various wash-off SainTFengel Gel Masques, kindly sent to me for honest feedback (also available on YesStyle). I am attempting to try these 2-3 times weekly in lieu of my old Body Shop masks.
As you know, I am an advocate for patience when incorporating new products into your routine. This up-and-coming company sent their entire skincare line(!!!) so please excuse my careful testing schedule!

Also, new sheet masks are always coming and going in my routine! More, and more constant, updates on my Instagram. Examples galore: